Screw crown for a container



Nov. 12, 1968 1, F. KOPCZYNSKI 3,410,435

SCREW CROWN FOR A CONTAINER Filed Feb. 3, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Grain MJ ATToRN'r/s.

Nov. 12, 1968 1 F. KoPczYNsKl 3,410,435

SCREW CROWN FOR A CONTAINER Filed Feb. e, 1967 2 sheets-Sheet 2 IM/ENTOR.

QPPM4M AT TORNEYS.

United States Patent O 3,410,435 SCREW CROWN FOR A CONTAINER John F. Kopczynski, 1671 Sweeney Place, North Tonawanda, N.Y. 14120 Filed Feb. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 614,734 Claims. (Cl. 21S-39) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A crown cap having a series of spaced outwardly protruding ribs is press-fitted around a container having a threaded neck to form a discontinuous thread in the portions of the cap separating the ribs. The cap has a pair of integral wings at diametrical sides to provide fingerpieces for unscrewing the cap.

Sheet metal screw crowns on the market have depending rims provided with a series of spaced outwardly protruding ribs so that, when the rim is press-fitted around the thread on the container neck, a discontinuous thread is formed with rim portions separating the ribs to permit of unscrewing the crown from the container. The present invention provides a pair of integral sheet metal wings projecting beyond the edges of the rim at opposite sides thereof to, in eifect, convert such prior art screw crown into a wing nut and thereby facilitate its removal. This provision of such wings summarizes the invention, principal advantages being in facilitating unscrewing by women and children having weak fingers and reducing danger of injury from the raw rim edges as well as forming such wings from metal which would otherwise be scrap and hence at no added material cost. The present crown can also be formed and applied to the containers by presently used standard machinery, the wings projecting from opposite sides of the crown in particular providing a crown which is of generally balanced form in the whirl application of liquid plastic to provide the seal.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one form of a crown embodying the invention before applied to the externally threaded neck of a container. FIG. 2 is a vertical section on line 2 2, FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the crown press-fitted on the externally threaded neck of a container. FIG. 4 is a fragmentary diminutive plan view of a blank sheet from 'which the blanks for the crowns are shown in dotted lines. FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are view similar to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, respectively, and illustrating a modified form of the invention. FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 5 of another modified form of the invention. FIG. 9 is a vertical section taken on line 9--9, FIG. 8. FIG. l0 is a further enlarged section taken on line 10-10, FIG. 8. FIG, 11 is a view similar to FIGS. 1, 5 and 8 showing a still further modied form of the invention. FIG. 12 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, taken on line 12-12, FIG. 1l. FIG. 13 is a further enlarged section taken on line 13- 13, FIG. 11. FIG. 14 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the crown in FIG. l1 as viewed from below the right hand side thereof. FIG. 15 is a view showing the manner in which the edge of the wing shown, for example, in FIG. 5, can be rounded to avoid a sharp cutting raw edge. l

The crown forming the subject of FIGS. l-4 comprises a sheet metal circular body 5 of substantially the same diameter as the outside diameter of the neck 6 of a container 8 shown as being in the form of a bottle, this neck 6 being shown as provided with concentric external threads 9, a quadruple threaded neck being shown, two on each side. The circular body 5 is formed to provide, before application to the neck 6, with an integral depending circular rim 10 which rim is provided with a series ice of spaced transversely outwardly protruding ribs 11. The rim portions which alternate with the outwardly protruding ribs 11 are indicated at 12, and these ribs 11 and intermediate alternating portions 12 provide an outwardly flaring bottom 13 for the unapplied crown which terminates in a serrated raw edge 14.

In use the crown is designed to seal in the contents of the container 8 even if such contents are pressurized such as with carbonated drinks. To this end a sealing gasket means 15 is provided which is shown as being in the form of a layer of deformable or yielding organic plastic adhered to the underside of the body 5 of the crown and to the extreme upper inside part of the depending rim 10 thereof, as best shown in FIG. 2. In present practice this gasket 15 is produced by dropping a drop of the plastic in liquid form into the crown while the latter is inverted and then spinning the crown so as to distribute the layer 15 uniformly over the surfaces described.

The feature of the present invention resides in the additional provision of a pair of intergral sheet metal wings 16 projecting beyond the edges 14 of the rim 10 at approximately diametrically opposite sides thereof for the purpose of providing fingerspieces for removing the crown as hereinafter described.

In the unapplied condition of the crown these wings 16 project horizontally outwardly as shown in FIG. 2 and, if desired, their edges can be beaded by reversely forming them into lC-shaped beaded form in cross section as indicated at 18.

With a crown so formed, it is placed on the neck 6 of a container with this neck contained within the rim 10 and with the mouth or end of this neck in contact with the sealing layer 15 of organic plastic. The crown is then die-formed so that this sealing layer 15 is brought into pressure sealing contact with the mouth of the container 8 and so that the outwardly flaring bottom part 13 of the rim 10 is forced radially inwardly and its portions 12 intermediate the outwardly projecting ribs 11 brought into sufficient pressure contact with the container threads 9 so as to embrace and be deformed by these threads. This forms discontinuous threads 19 in the rim portions 12 separating the ribs 11 which discontinuous thread mates with the external thread 9 of the container so that the crown, while securely attached to and sealing the contents of the container 8 can be manually unscrewed from the neck 6 of the container. This unscrewing is very considerably facilitated by the outwardly projecting wings 16 which, while being bent to the downward and outward inclination shown in FIG. 3, still protrude outwardly and form in effect, a wing nut.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a sheet 20 of metal showing, by means of dotted lines, the flat blanks, in diminutive, for the crowns illustrated in FIGS. 1 3. From an inspection of this figure, it will be seen that the wings 16 are cut from metal which would otherwise be scrap and hence at no added material cost as compared with conventional circular screw crowns as now produced. Thus from an inspection of the sheet 20 illustrated in FIG. `4 it will be seen that the cutting of blanks for circular crowns necessarily leaves opposite triangularshaped areas 21 on opposite sides of each blank. 'Ihese are the areas used to form the ears 16, the same reference numbers being used on the blanks, as outlined in dotted lines, and distinguished by the sutiix a. Thus, allowing the minimum width of the scrap separators 22, which necessarily separate the flat blanks for the bodies 5a together with their rims from one another, the radial length of each triangular space 21, measured from a regular circular projection which would connect the semicircular edges 14a does not substantially exceed one fourth the diametral distance between these semicircular edges 14a, thereby to form the wings from sheet metal which otherwise would be scrap. Accordingly, the projection of the wings 16 from the crown is limited by this ratio unless it becomes feasible to have a greater material cost.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. -7, the crown comprises a sheet metal circular body formed to provide, before application to the bottle neck 6, with a circular depending rim which rim is provided with a series of spaced transversely outwardly protruding ribs 31. These ribs and the rim portions 32 which alternate with these ribs 31 provide an outwardly flaring bottom 33 for the unapplied crown which terminates in a serrated raw edge 34. The crown in FIGS. 5-7 is provided with a layer 35 of a deformable organic plastic adhered to the underside of the body 25 of the crown and to the extreme upper inside part of the depending rim 30 thereof.

The crown shown in FIGS. 5-7 is provided with a pair of integral sheet metal wings 36 projecting beyond the edge 34 of the rirn 30 at approximately diametrically opposite sides thereof for the purpose of providing iingerpieces for unscrewing the crown. In the unapplied condition of the crown these wings 36 project horizontally outward as shown in FIG. 6 and, to obtain increased radial length, their edges 38 are unprovided with the beads 18 shown in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. However, these wings 36 are shown as being strengthened by extending the ribs 31 registering with these wings out into these wings.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 8-10 the crown comprises a sheet metal circular body 38 formed to provide, before application to the bottle neck 6, with a circular depending rim 39 which rim is provided with a series of spaced, transversely outwardly protruding ribs 40. These ribs and the rim portions 41 which alternate with these ribs provide an outwardly flaring bottom 42 for the unapplied crown which terminates in a serrated raw edge 43. The crown in FIGS. 8-10 is provided with a layer 44 of a deformable organic plastic adhered to the underside of the body 38 of the crown and to the extreme upper inside part of the depending rim 39 thereof.

The crown shown in FIGS. 8-10 is provided with a pair of integral sheet metal wings 46 projecting beyond the edge 43 Of the rim 39 at approximately opposite sides thereof for the purpose of providing finger pieces for unscrewing the crown. In order to strengthen these finger pieces 46 and also to avoid ones coming in contact with a raw edge in unscrewing the crown, each wing 46 has its rim portions bent downwardly in the form of a rounding depending flange 48, this flange being, as illustrated in FIG. 9, of zero height at the inner end of each wing where it joins the rim 39 and rising to a maximum height at the outer extremity of the wing and hence being of diminishing height from the outer to the inner end of each wing. It is further desirable that in this form of the invention the ange 48 be provided by a raised bead 49 so as to provide a central depression 50.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 11-14, the crown again comprises a sheet metal circular body part 51 formed to provide, before application to the bottle neck, with a circular depending rim 52 which rim is provided with a series of spaced transversely outwardly protruding ribs 53. These ribs and the rim portions 54 which alternate with these ribs 53 provide an outwardly flaring bottom 55 for the unapplied crown which terminates in a serrated raw edge 56. The crown in FIGS. l1-14 is provided with a layer 58 of deformable organic plastic adhered to the underside of the body 51 of the crown and to the extreme upper inside part of the depending rim 52 thereof.

The crown shown in FIGS. 11-14 is provided with a pair of integral sheet metal wings 58 projecting beyond the edge 56 of the rim 52 at approximately diametrically opposite sides thereof for the purpose of providing finger pieces for unscrewing the crown. One side only of each of these wings 58 is formed to provide a rounding depending flange 59, this being on the counterclockwise side of the wings 58 as viewed from the top thereof, FIG. 1. All screw top containers S, as now manufactured, are provided with righthand threads 9 and hence in unscrewing the crown the users fingers corne in contact with the counterclockwise sides of the wings. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide only these counterclockwise sides with the rounding depending flanges 59 in providing a cornfortable and non-injurious surface to be engaged by the users fingers in unscrewing the cap.

FIG. l5 shows the manner in which the wings, designated at 36 to distinguish them from the similar wings 36 of the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 5-7, can be die-formed to avoid a sharp cutting edge, this being achieved by forming a rounding top corner 60 around the edge of the win-g. Since in other respects the form of the invention shown in FIG. l5 can be identical with the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 5-7, the description of the other features is not repeated.

All of the forms of the invention are applied to the threaded neck 6 of the container S in the same manner as described with reference to FIGS. l-4 and when so applied provides, within the same limitations of the size of the triangular spaces 21 among the blanks, as illustruted in FIGS. 4 and 7, wings which project a substantial distance from opposite sides of the crown and which can be produced in the various forms illustrated without increasing the use of sheet material as compared with producing round screw crowns unprovided with such wings.

From the foregoing it will be seen that all forms of the invention provide a crown in the form of a wing nut which greatly facilitates unscrewing from the container, particularly by women or children having little manual strength. The danger of injury is greatly reduced since the skin pressure is against these wings and not against the raw edges 14 or 34 of the crown. By virtue of the generally diametrically opposite positioning of the wings, making and applying the crowns by standard equipment is not interfered with, particularly with the spin application of the layer of sealing plastic. It will also be noted that the edges of the wings can be beaded, coined, rounded or flanged as may be desired to render them more cornfortable to be unscrewed and that these wings can be strengthened by such flanges, beads or by ribs.

I claim:

1. An inverted cup-shaped sheet metal crown for a container having a neck provided with a generally concentric external thread and said crown having a depending rim provided with a series of spaced transversely outwardly protruding ribs and said rim being adapted to be press-fitted around said thread to form a discontinuous thread in the rim portions separating said ribs which discontinuous thread mates with said external thread of said container whereby said crown can be manually unscrewed from the neck of said container, wherein the improvement comprises a pair of integral sheet metal wings projecting beyond the edge of said rim at approximately diametrically opposite sides thereof thereby to provide ingerpieces at generally opposite sides of said crown to facilitate such manual unscrewing thereof, those of said ribs which are in register with said wings extending radially into said 'wings to strengthen said wings.

2. An inverted cup-shaped sheet metal crown for a container having a neck provided with a generally concentric external thread and said crown having a depending rim provided with a series of spaced transversely outwardly protruding ribs and said rim being adapted to be press-fitted around said thread to form a discontinuous thread in the rim portions separating said ribs which discontinuous thread mates with said external thread of said container whereby said crown can be manually unscrewed from the neck of said container, wherein the improvement comprises a pair of integral sheet metal wings projecting beyond the edge of said rim at approximately diametrically opposite sides thereof thereby to provide ngerpieces at generally opposite sides of said crown to facilitate such manual unscrewing thereof, said edge of said rim, in the blank form of the crown, being in the form of a pair of generally semicircular edges separated by the radial outward extensions of the blank used to form said wings, and the radial length of each of such wing blanks, as measured from a regular circular projection which would connect said semicircular edges on the corresponding side of the crown blank, not substantially exceeding one fourth the diametral distance between said edges, thereby to form said wings from sheet metal which otherwise would be scrap.

3. An inverted cup-shaped sheet metal crown for a container having a neck provided with a generally concentric external thread and said crown having a depending rim provided with a series of spaced transversely outwardly protruding ribs and said rim being adapted to be press-fitted around said thread to form a discontinuous thread in the rim portions separating said ribs, which discontinuous thread mates with said external thread of said container whereby said crown can be manually unscrewed `from the neck of said container, wherein the improvement comprises a pair of integral sheet metal wings projecting beyond the edge of said rim at approximately diametrically opposite sides thereof thereby to provide ngerpieces at generally opposite sides of said crown to facilitate such manual unscrewing thereof, each wing being provided with a marginal vertical ange to protect ones fingers in unscrewing the crown.

4. A crown as set forth in claim 3i wherein said marginal flange is in the form of a depending ange provided only on that side of each wing which is engaged by ones lingers in so unscrewing the crown.

5. A crown as set forth in claim 3i wherein said Inargnal vertical anges is of diminishing height from the outer toward the inner end of the wing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,238,902 9/ 1917 Finkelstein 215-46 1,691,525 11/1928 McDonnell 215-39 2,078,743 4/ 1937 Traum 215-43 2,304,826 12/1942 Jackson 215-39 FOREIGN PATENTS 297,441 9/ 1963 Netherlands.

DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner. 

